1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stud frame wall system. More particularly, the invention relates to a stud frame and a superinsulated wall comprising a plurality of stud frames.
2. Description of Related Art
There is a need, increasingly apparent, for buildings that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient. In cooler climates, this means, among other things, buildings with a high degree of thermal retention. A solution has been to construct buildings with thicker walls and roofs, capable of enclosing increased amounts of insulation. There is also a need, ever present, to reduce the cost of construction. One solution has been to construct buildings, at least in part, from prefabricated sections.
In their research report, Building America Special Research Project: High-R Walls Case Study Analysis, John Straube and Jonathan Smegal show a truss wall, with a wide inner wall space for insulation, provided with a plurality of truss frames. The truss frames are provided with a front stud and a back stud coupled by three rectangular gussets. A narrow-side of the front stud is parallel with a narrow-side of the back stud. Moreover, the front stud and the back stud are shown to have different dimensions.
An alternative solution, with a wide inner wall space for insulation, is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,141, issued on Aug. 9, 2005 (Hefner). Hefner discloses a prefabricated truss frame for a truss frame wall. The truss frame is provided with a front stud and a back stud with different widths. The truss frame is further provided with spacers and diagonal cross braces coupled with the front stud and the back stud. In particular, the truss frame is provided with an upper spacer between the front stud and the back stud. The truss frame is also provided with metal truss plates coupling various joints. For coupling the truss frames with a foundation, each of the truss frames is provided with a box sill.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a stud frame wall system that overcomes deficiencies in the prior art.